


Jason Brown-Weisenbachfeld and The Adoption Adventure

by SheWantsItAll



Series: First Grade Jason [4]
Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Adoption, Boy Scouts, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Fluff, It hurts a little, M/M, Marvin is a cat person, Protective Whizzer Brown, kids are mean
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:01:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28036599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheWantsItAll/pseuds/SheWantsItAll
Summary: Jason goes on a dreaded cub scouts outing and ends up with a very special new friend.
Relationships: Whizzer Brown/Marvin
Series: First Grade Jason [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995193
Comments: 21
Kudos: 46





	Jason Brown-Weisenbachfeld and The Adoption Adventure

Jason did _not_ want to go to cub scouts. Momma had enrolled him, insisting that it would be fun and he would make friends. She had been wrong. He hated going. The other boys were almost always mean, and camping trips (yuck) and the outdoors (ew) were not his thing. The worst part of cub scouts by far was the fact that they had their events on Saturday mornings, usually before ten in the morning. 

"C'mon kiddo. Gotta get up and face the day" Papa was way too cheerful for it to be so early on a Saturday morning. 

"Noooo." Jason whined, burying his head deeper into his pillow. 

"We talked about this last night, baby. You made a commitment, you've got to go. Plus it's the animal shelter. You love animals. And it's inside. It won't be bad."

"Didn't make a commitment… Momma made a commitment. Make her go. Don't wanna go" Jason mumbled into the pillow. It was the truth. He didn't want to go. The other boys were mean sometimes, and the leader guy didn't care. 

He heard Papa chuckle, unaware of the real reason behind him not wanting to go, "Don't you want to go pet the animals? You know you're going to get to pet them too, right? Not just clean. I bet it's going to make them sooo happy"

He peeked out from his pillow "Really?" he asked, suspicion plain in his voice. 

"Of course. You didn't think you'd have to work the _whole_ time, did you? There's fun stuff about volunteering too. There's also muffins downstairs. Chocolate chip _and_ blueberry" 

Jason finally cracked a smile.

"And when you get back from the shelter we can work on your gingerbread man's disguise."

Jason's take home school project this month was a paper gingerbread cut out for him and his family to disguise. He had the cut out, and a bag with some feathers and sparkles and different colors of construction paper to disguise it with from Mr. McKinley. They could use whatever they wanted or had, but his teacher always sent basic supplies for their projects so that everyone would have something to use. Jason always liked to do the most fun and creative of these projects over the weekend, because Papa's creative skills were unmatched.

He smiled more, "and play candyland?"

"And play candyland."

"Aaaaaand watch Star Trek?"

Whizzer sighed dramatically, feigning exasperation "You _are_ your daddy's child. Yes. We might even order pizza for dinner. Now. Get ready, and don't forget a jacket- it's cold out there." He ruffled Jason's hair, smiling as it stood up in all directions, before heading downstairs to get himself a muffin. 

"Is he cranky?" Marvin asked, he was perched on one of their barstools, still wearing pajamas and incredibly happy that Whizzer had volunteered to take their son to scouts. 

"Mmm..not terribly. But he's not too happy about it either. He suggested that Trina go instead, since she made the commitment,"

"The sass on that kid. It's gotta be your fault. He was never like this before you came around,"

"Do two year olds have the capacity for sass? Also, his connection of 'mom made me do it' with 'maybe she should go it instead' is critical thinking skills, not sass. Although I'd like to take credit for that too."

Marvin rolled his eyes, but smiled, "Of course- all credit for Jason's good qualities go directly to one Whizzer Brown."

"As it should be," Whizzer smiled and leaned over to kiss him, before hearing Jason's tiny feet thumping down the stairs. 

Jason scampered down the stairs wearing his favorite orange sweatshirt. He still didn't want to go, but maybe it wouldn't be so bad. The quicker he went, the quicker it would be over. He hugged Daddy, grabbed a muffin, and dragged Papa to the door, knowing that they were going to be late.

They arrived at the shelter ten minutes late and all the other boys had already paired off into teams to work. Even though he hovered around a bit, unsure of what to do, no one invited him to join them. It wasn't anything new to Jason, and he shrugged it off, telling the volunteer coordinator, Kayla, that he would be okay working alone.

The day passed quickly. Jason was mostly alone, with the Kayla poking her head in every now and again to check in on him. She stuck around and worked with him for a while- she was really nice. He folded clean blankets and towels and filled food and water bowls. Every time he opened a cage he got to pet a cat. He wished that they could all have a home. He wished that _he_ could give them all a home, but he had been begging Daddy and Papa for a cat (or turtle) for months with no success. If he couldn't have one, he definitely couldn't have a whole shelter full. 

He came to his last cat of the day. There wasn't a name on the info sheet on the door, just information. Jason read it quickly while he petted her face carefully through the bars. The cat was a girl. She was only three years old and had been at the shelter for nearly a year. 

That was a long time. 

He opened her door and took her bowls out. She quickly started rubbing against his arm. 

"Hi kitty," He stopped working and carefully picked her up. He wasn't really _supposed_ to pick the cats up, just in case they decided to scratch, but she seemed like she needed a hug. The cat snuggled in, starting to weave her paws on the shoulder of his sweatshirt. 

"You're a pretty kitty, aren't you? Yes you are.." his statement wasn't strictly true. Not in any traditional sense. She was a very plain looking short haired brown and orange tabby cat. Her ears were enormous and one of them was missing the tip. She wasn't an objectively ugly cat, per say, but she wasn't necessarily pretty compared to her fluffy solid white and lynx point neighbors. 

All duties forgotten, Jason plopped himself down on the floor and petted his new friend. She purred and head-butted his cheek. After a while, he noticed that the rest of the shelter seemed much quieter than it had before and, glancing at the clock, realized that his troop mates had likely already left. 

He dreaded putting his new friend back in the cage. She didn't belong there. And why had she been there so long? He couldn't stand the thought of being away from his family for that long. Why did she have to be away from hers? 

Whizzer watched the door of the shelter. He saw the other 10 members of Jason's scout troop leave and join their pick up person. Then he saw the troop leader and his son come out to leave. He hadn’t seen a sign of Jason, and this guy was just going to _leave_?

He got out of the car and walked up to the guy. “Leaving already?” he asked. Whizzer wasn’t an especially confrontational guy- that was more Marvin’s venue, but he felt anger bubbling in his chest at the thought of someone who was supposed to be responsible for these kids leaving _his_ kid behind. 

“Yes? And you are?”

“Whizzer Brown. I'm here waiting for my son. Jason? You know him? This tall, was wearing a bright orange sweatshirt? Really couldn’t miss him...”

“Oh! Trina and Marvin’s kid,”

He took a deep breath. The guy wasn't wrong. Whizzer just hated feeling pushed out. But it wasn't the time to get mad over someone not understanding Jason's admittedly different family structure. “Yes. Trina and Marvin’s kid. He’s in there, and _apparently_ you were just going to leave without making sure someone was here to get him.”

“Oh… I’m sorry! I thought everyone had left. He’s still in there though and you’re here to get him now… so… we’ll be off.” 

"Yeah. Thank goodness I'm here. Because you were just going to _leave_ him there totally alone. He's six years old and your responsibility when he's here. You can't just do that"

Whizzer didn't stick around to hear his rebuttal, he stalked into the volunteer center, trying to push down his irritation. At least he was there. Nothing bad had happened. 

He opened the door and was greeted by a bubbly looking woman wearing a tie dye sweatshirt, with her hair in braids. 

"Hi! You must be here for Jason?" she greeted him cheerfully. 

He was slightly caught off guard- how did she know? "Uhm, yes," 

"You're lucky to have him- such a sweet kid! And a hard worker. The other boys had already paired off when he showed up so we worked together for a while. I'm Kayla, the volunteer coordinator," she smiled and reached out to shake his hand. 

Whizzer was… surprised. Kayla couldn't be older than 25- how did she get to be in charge? He smiled back, and shook her hand. "Thank you so much for helping him.. " 

_If he was just going to be alone the whole time, maybe we should have just let him stay home,_ he thought. Trina's whole reason for putting him in the activity was so that Jason could make friends. He knew Jason had a hard time with the other kids sometimes, but he thought he was okay at scouts. He thought that he didn't want to go because he lost part of their weekend, not because he didn't feel welcome. 

The cat room door opened and Jason looked up to see Papa standing in the doorway. 

Whizzer was decidedly _not_ a cat person. The Brown family had a cat until he was a little older than Jason, who was truly horrible. Samantha, his older sister, _loved_ that cat. She consistently claimed that he was a good boy, even when he brutally attacked her little brother. He had always had a flair for the dramatic, of course, so Fluffy’s relative evilness had been the topic of many family debates over the years. Needless to say, Fluffy had shaped his overall opinion of cats enough that he had never even _considered_ getting one in his adult life. 

At least, he never considered it until Jason started asking for a cat, and Marvin said he wouldn't mind having one. It had been months since he started. Every time they asked what he wanted for holidays or special occasions, it was a cat. His birthday wasn't far off. Maybe they would talk about it then.

He walked into the cat room and saw his kid on the floor, arms full of tabby cat. This was going to be a problem.

"Alright kiddo… ready to go?" 

Jason's face fell. He cuddled the cat closer before carefully getting up. He told the cat goodbye quietly and told her he hoped she found her family soon, before gently prying her claws from his obnoxiously bright sweatshirt and putting her back in her assigned cage. 

As if that wasn't heart wrenching enough...the cat started to yowl. It was absolutely pitiful. She frantically reached through the bars and caught the sleeve of Jason's sweatshirt. Jason looked heart broken as the cat continued to wail. 

They were going home with a cat, weren't they? He watched as Jason's eyes welled up with tears. They were almost definitely going home with a cat. The cat was still frantically pawing at his son. 

He crossed the small room in three steps and carefully pulled the cat's paw from Jason's shirt. He opened the door and the cat hopped daintily from there and into Jason's waiting arms. He watched as Jason cuddled the cat close, scratching between its ears.

"What's the situation with the cat?" He asked the volunteer coordinator quietly so Jason wouldn't hear, still distancing himself from the situation as much as he could. He didn't think he would be able to leave without the cat. He couldn't stand the look on Jason's face. He just _really_ didn't want a cat. 

"She's been with us for almost a year. She's a sweet girl, but she doesn't usually catch people's eye like a kitten would. She has Feline Leukemia Virus… it's not cancer like it sounds, but it suppresses her immune system. Most cats with the virus live a fairly normal life, but they can't live with other cats and may need extra trips to the vet. It's not something that most people looking to adopt want to take on, and those who would be interested almost always already have a cat, so that knocks them out as well. She also needs to stay inside, to avoid the risk of infecting other cats." 

They didn't already have a cat. They could afford a few extra vet bills. They lived on the twenty fourth floor of an apartment building- unless she knew how to use an elevator, the cat wouldn't be going outside. 

They were getting a cat. 

"Does she have a name?" 

"She just showed up one day. No collar, nothing. But sweet as could be. Someone definitely dropped her off. Everyone here has different names for her, but there's nothing she answers to. I'm sure your son could think up a name for her."

He smiled. He thought of Jason as his- of course he did. It could be so frustrating when people didn't see that. He hadn't always been there, but he had been around for the majority of the kid's life and he loved him more than anything in the world. He loved it when people knew he was his- whether it was because they knew the whole story and accepted it, or because he just… seemed like a dad. "I'm sure he will. What do we have to do to take her home?"

He watched as the volunteer coordinator's face lit up. He was getting a cat. Well. Jason was getting a cat. He briefly considered calling Marvin- a pet seemed like something they should discuss. They _had_ discussed it though, multiple times over the last few months, and each time Marvin had been all for a cat. Whizzer was the one holding them back. He decided that a cat would probably be a nice surprise.

The volunteer coordinator handed him a clip board with a stack of paperwork. He thanked her and headed into the cat room. Jason had returned to his cat cuddling position on the floor and Whizzer sat beside him. He reached out slowly and pet the cat on the head. She didn't attack him- in fact, her purring increased in volume as she rubbed her face against his hand.

This was going better than expected. 

"Do we have to go home now?" Jason asked quietly. He tried to keep the disappointment out of his voice. He leaned into Papa's side in an effort to avoid eye contact. He knew his pouty face would probably make Papa feel guilty. He didn't want to do that, but he just couldn't help it. He wanted a cat _so_ bad, and this cat was _so_ nice. 

Whizzer reached over and ruffled his hair, making frizz stand out in every direction. "We could stay a while longer," he started, feeling Jason relax,"or… we could just take Miss Kitty home with us…what do you think?" 

In the next moment, 'Miss Kitty' was standing on the floor and Jason had thrown himself into Papa's arms. 

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" he squealed. "I'll take care of her all the time on the weekend!!! Thank you!" 

Whizzer hugged him tightly, kissing the top of his head. It made him _so_ happy to be able to make Jason happy. "You're welcome kiddo… do you know what you want to name her?"

"Lasagna." His answer was automatic. 

"Are you... sure?" Whizzer thought of trips to the vet with Lasagna and fought the urge to roll his eyes. The love for pasta in the Brown household was strong. 

"Wait. No. NOODLES!"

He couldn't help but laugh. "We can think about it for a while if you want. I've got allllll this other stuff to fill out. We can save the name. Pet her and think about it?"

They sat with Jason tucked under his arm while Whizzer worked his way through the paperwork, listing their address and character witnesses and all of the other tedious pertinent information. He started making a mental list of things they would need for a cat. Food, bowls, toys, bed, litter box. There was probably more that he was missing. A trip to the pet store was definitely in order. They could do that on the way home. 

He quickly texted Marvin and let him know that everything was fine, but they would be home later than they planned- knowing he would worry if they just didn't show up.

He decided that a text message wasn't the place to tell him that the group leader was ready to leave Jason there, or that apparently he had worked alone the whole time, aside from Kayla. That would have an in person conversation. 

"Alright… have you thought any more about her name?" he asked. Jason looked so happy and Whizzer couldn't help but smile. Maybe a cat wouldn't be such a bad thing. 

"Still Noodles. She looks kinda like a noodle. She's long. And.. wiggly. Plus it only has two syllables. Lasagna is too much." 

"Whatever you want, kiddo. Noodles it is." He added her new name to the paperwork and got up from the floor to take the packet and clipboard to Kayla. 

When he got to the front desk he saw her packing various cat essentials into a tote bag. "So. The adoption fee is eighty dollars" she started, but quickly continued, as if she thought she was going to be told it was too much, "But she's had all her vaccinations, she's been spayed, and I have a throw away carrier you can take her home in. Plus, this bag has a starter kit of sorts so that you shouldn't have to stop at the pet store on your way back." 

"Thank you so much Kayla- that sounds amazing." Whizzer pulled out his checkbook and wrote her a check for the adoption fee, adding a hundred dollars to it as a donation to the shelter. He lost his wallet at least twice a week, though usually in the apartment. A checkbook, while old fashioned, seemed like a safer option than a debit card. 

They boxed Noodles into her temporary car carrier and headed home. 

~~~

The evening went as anticipated. Marvin was absolutely thrilled that they had gotten a cat. Whizzer didn't think he had seen him so excited since their wedding day. They gave Noodles some space to acclimate to her new home before setting about showering her with love and affection. Whizzer found himself sitting and holding Noodles after Jason and Marvin had a chance with her. He scratched behind her ears gently and smiled as she purred. Maybe all cats weren't evil balls of rage with murder in their heart. 

Jason and Papa worked together to transform his gingerbread man into an amazing astronaut, complete with clear plastic plate helmet and a more spangly than typical space suit. 

That night, after Star Trek had been watched, pizza had been eaten and Jason was in bed, Whizzer and Marvin snuggled up on the couch to talk about Jason's cub scouts fate. They quickly reached the conclusion that there _had_ to be an activity that would be better suited to what he was interested in, with kids who would share a common interest and decided to talk it over with the others. They used the power of Google to compile a short list of potential activities to present to Jason and the rest of the group. 

Later, when they were curled up in bed and Whizzer felt Noodles hop up and curl into a ball next to his feet, he didn't nudge her away or kick her out of the bed. Maybe having a cat wouldn't be so bad after all. 

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter brought to you by my lovely FeLV+ cat and the exhaustion that only being a first year "teacher" during a pandemic can bring. 
> 
> This took much longer than I wanted it to, but hopefully there won't be such a large gap next time. My university course has ended, but I've started substitute teaching some days after my regular shift and it's been so busy. 
> 
> I hope that everyone is doing well! Be safe, wear a mask, and wash your hands! 💖💖
> 
> A personal note bc I want to scream it from the rooftops and this is the closest I can get: 
> 
> One of my kiddos (who is on the spectrum) hugged me on Friday while I was substituting in her class and I almost cried on the spot. She's precious and I spent the first three weeks of the school year reminding myself not to make eye contact with her. She's grown so much this year and I'm so proud.


End file.
